Lightweight reference user interface

ABSTRACT

A lightweight information user interface is provided for displaying information about a focused-on (e.g., mouse-over) text item, data item or other object in an electronic document that minimizes interruption of workflow with the electronic document. Upon focus on a word or other object in an electronic document a quick look-up function may be invoked for retrieving information from a local or remote information source about the focused-on item. Retrieved information, for example, translations, dictionary definitions and research information, is displayed in close proximity to the focused-on item in a lightweight information user interface. Information may be displayed according to a variety of media types including text, audio, video, pictures, bitmap images, etc.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application,Ser. No. 11/234,968, filed with the United States Patent and TrademarkOffice on Sep. 26, 2005 entitled “Lightweight Reference User Interface,”which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Often when a user is reading, editing or otherwise reviewing anelectronic document, the user finds he or she needs additionalinformation about a word, name or other information contained in a givendocument. For example, the user may need contact information for a namecontained in a document or electronic mail message. For another example,the user may need a translation of one or more words contained in adocument or message written in a language other than the user's nativelanguage. For another example, the user may need research informationabout a company or other institution identified in a document ormessage.

According to prior methods and systems, the user typically mustinterrupt the flow of his or her work with the document to launch andutilize some type of external information or research tool. For example,the user may launch a contacts application to obtain contact informationon a name contained in a document or message. The user may launch adictionary or translation tool to obtain a definition or translation forone or more words contained in a document or message. The user maylaunch a research tool, for example, an Internet or intranet browsingapplication, associated with the application in use or separate from theapplication in use to obtain research information on one or more words,data items or objects contained or referenced in a document or message.While such methods and systems may provide the user with the desiredinformation, the interruption to the user's work flow is cumbersome,time consuming and distracting, particularly when the user must obtainneeded information many times for a given document or message.

It is with respect to these and other considerations that the presentinvention has been made.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended asan aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

The above and other problems are solved by methods, systems and computerproducts for connecting users with needed information via a lightweightuser interface that minimizes interruption of workflow. According to anaspect of the invention, a lightweight information user interface isdeployed in an electronic document or electronic mail message in closeproximity to a word, data item or other object for providing quickaccess to information about the word, data item or other object. Thelightweight information user interface is initially deployed accordingto a default size, but the user interface may be selectively expanded toprovide additional information.

According to other aspects of the invention, the lightweight informationuser interface is automatically deployed with information about aselected text item, data item or other object. The lightweightinformation user interface may be deployed by selecting deployment froma menu or in response to a keyboard accelerator combination, forexample, ALT or CTRL key plus mouse click.

According to other aspects of the invention, information about aselected text item, data item or other object may be obtained fordisplay in the lightweight information user interface from local orremote information sources. According to one aspect, a selected text ordata item may be “smart tagged” as a particular text or data type bysending a selected text or data item to a recognizer module foridentification. Once the selected text or data item is recognized asbelonging to a particular type, information associated with theidentified type may be provided in the lightweight user interface. Forexample, if a given word is identified as a name, the word may then beused to obtain contact information from a local or remote contactsinformation source.

According to another aspect of the invention, information may beobtained for the lightweight information user interface via anExtensible Markup Language (XML) protocol. According to this aspect, anXML-based information query is utilized for obtaining a limited amountof information associated with a selected text item, data item or objectfor increasing speed and efficiency of information retrieval.

According to another aspect, a lightweight information user interfacemay automatically provide functionality op a focused-on word, data itemor object, including automatic conversion of a word or text string fromone language to another language. In addition, information on afocused-on word, data item or object may be provided according to avariety of media types, including text, audio, video, music, bitmapimages, etc. The multi-media information may be provided via an extendedXML-based schema.

These and other features and advantages, which characterize the presentinvention, will be apparent from a reading of the following detaileddescription and a review of the associated drawings. It is to beunderstood that both the foregoing general description and the followingdetailed description are explanatory only and are not restrictive of theinvention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary computing operating environment forembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a computer screen display of an electronic documentshowing a lightweight information user interface in proximity to aselected text item.

FIG. 3 illustrates a lightweight information user interface in both adefault size and an expanded size according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a drop-down menu for selecting deployment of alightweight information user interface according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a computingarchitecture for obtaining information for populating a lightweightinformation user interface according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an XML-basedinformation query for information required for populating a lightweightinformation user interface according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a computer screen display of an electronic documentshowing a lightweight information user interface deployed for languagetranslation.

FIG. 8 illustrates a computer screen display of an electronic documentshowing a user interface component for selectively activating thelightweight information user interface of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 illustrates a computer screen display of an electronic documentshowing a user interface component associated with a deployed contextmenu, the user interface component allowing activation of thelightweight information user interface of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 illustrates a computer screen display of an electronic documentshowing a lightweight information user interface deployed with languagetranslation information for a focused-on word.

FIG. 11 illustrates a computer screen display of an electronic documentshowing a lightweight information user interface deployed for languagetranslation and showing icons for selectively receiving informationaccording to different media types.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As briefly described above, embodiments of the present invention aredirected to methods, systems and computer products for providinginformation via a lightweight information user interface about afocused-on or selected text item, data item or other object in anelectronic document that minimizes interruption of workflow with theelectronic document. In the following detailed description, referencesare made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and inwhich are shown by way of illustrations specific embodiments orexamples. These embodiments may be combined, other embodiments may beutilized, and structural changes may be made without departing from thespirit or scope of the present invention. The following detaileddescription is therefore not to be taken in a limiting sense and thescope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims andtheir equivalents.

Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals refer to likeelements through the several Figs., aspects of the present invention andan exemplary computing operating environment will be described. FIG. 1and the following discussion are intended to provide a brief, generaldescription of a suitable computing environment in which the inventionmay be implemented. While the invention will be described in the generalcontext of program modules that execute in conjunction with anapplication program that runs on an operating system on a personalcomputer, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention mayalso be implemented in combination with other program modules.

Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, datastructures, and other types of structures that perform particular tasksor implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled inthe art will appreciate that the invention may be practiced with othercomputer system configurations, including hand-held devices,multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumerelectronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. Theinvention may also be practiced in distributed computing environmentswhere tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linkedthrough a communications network. In a distributed computingenvironment, program modules may be located in both local and remotememory storage devices.

Embodiments of the invention may be implemented as a computer process(method), a computing system, or as an article of manufacture, such as acomputer program product or computer readable media. The computerprogram product may be a computer storage media readable by a computersystem and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing acomputer process. The computer program product may also be a propagatedsignal on a carrier readable by a computing system and encoding acomputer program of instructions for executing a computer process.

With reference to FIG. 1, one exemplary system for implementing theinvention includes a computing device, such as computing device 100. Ina basic configuration, the computing device 100 typically includes atleast one processing unit 102 and system memory 104. Depending on theexact configuration and type of computing device, the system memory 104may be volatile (such as RAM), non-volatile (such as ROM, flash memory,etc.) or some combination of the two. System memory 104 typicallyincludes an operating system 105 suitable for controlling the operationof a networked personal computer, such as the WINDOWS® operating systemsfrom MICROSOFT CORPORATION of Redmond, Wash. The system memory 104 mayalso include one or more software applications 106 and may includeprogram data 107. This basic configuration is illustrated in FIG. 1 bythose components within dashed line 108.

According to embodiments of the invention, the application 106 maycomprise many types of software applications, such as an electronic mailprogram, a calendaring program, an Internet browsing program, and thelike. An example of such programs is OUTLOOK® manufactured by MICROSOFTCORPORATION. The application 106 may include a number of other types ofsoftware applications including a multiple-functionality softwareapplication for providing many other types of functionalities. Such amultiple-functionality application may include a number of programmodules, such as a word processing program, a spreadsheet program, aslide presentation program, a database program, and the like. An exampleof such a multiple-functionality application is OFFICE® manufactured byMICROSOFT CORPORATION. According to embodiments of the presentinvention, the application 106 is illustrative of any softwareapplication with which an electronic document (including electronic mailmessages) may be created or edited and in which a lightweightinformation user interface may be utilized for providing informationassociated with a selected text item, data item or other object in theelectronic document.

The computing device 100 may have additional features or functionality.For example, the computing device 100 may also include additional datastorage devices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example,magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage isillustrated in FIG. 1 by removable storage 109 and non-removable storage110. Computer storage media may include volatile and nonvolatile,removable and non-removable media implemented in any method ortechnology for storage of information, such as computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Systemmemory 104, removable storage 109 and non-removable storage 110 are allexamples of computer storage media. Computer storage media includes, butis not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memorytechnology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other opticalstorage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used tostore the desired information and which can be accessed by computingdevice 100. Any such computer storage media may be part of device 100.Computing device 100 may also have input device(s) 112 such as keyboard,mouse, pen, voice input device, touch input device, etc. Outputdevice(s) 114 such as a display, speakers, printer, etc. may also beincluded. These devices are well known in the art and need not bediscussed at length here.

The computing device 100 may also contain communication connections 116that allow the device to communicate with other computing devices 118,such as over a network in a distributed computing environment, forexample, an intranet or the Internet. Communication connection 116 isone example of communication media. Communication media may typically beembodied by computer readable instructions, data structures, programmodules, or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrierwave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information deliverymedia. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one ormore of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encodeinformation in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation,communication media includes wired media such as a wired network ordirect-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF,infrared and other wireless media. The term computer readable media asused herein includes both storage media and communication media.

The example user interface 200 shown in FIG. 2 is illustrative of anelectronic document workspace provided by a software application 106,for example, a word processing application, a slide presentationapplication, a spreadsheet application, an electronic mail application,and the like, in which an electronic document or electronic mail messagemay be displayed. The user interface 200 includes one or morefunctionality tools, buttons or controls 205, 210, 215 for providingfunctionality of the application in use with text, data or other objectsdisplayed in the workspace of the user interface 200. As should beappreciated, the example user interface 200 is for purposes ofillustration and example only and is not limiting of the vast number oflayouts and designs that may be utilized for a user interface 200 inwhich a text item, data item or other object may be displayed and withwhich the lightweight information user interface of the presentinvention may be utilized.

Referring still to FIG. 2, a text item 220 is displayed in the workspaceof the user interface 200. As should be appreciated, the text item 220is illustrative of text or data displayed in a word processingapplication user interface, a spreadsheet application user interface, aslide presentation user interface, or the text item 220 is illustrativeof the text of an electronic mail message displayed in an electronicmail message display area of an electronic mail application userinterface. According to embodiments of the present invention, thelightweight information user interface 230 is deployed in closeproximity to a selected text item, data item or other object in anelectronic document or electronic mail message for providing one or moretypes of information to a user about the selected item. For example, theuser interface 230 may be utilized for providing a definition,translation or research information about a selected text item in a wordprocessing document, slide presentation document or electronic mailmessage document. Similarly, the user interface 230 may be utilized forproviding information about a numerical value or formula contained in aspreadsheet application document. Similarly, the user interface 230 maybe utilized for providing information about a selected object, forexample, a picture, shape or other object contained in an electronicdocument.

In general, it should be understood that items in a document orelectronic mail for which information may be obtained according to thepresent invention includes a wide range of document content such as textitems, images, sounds, shapes, tables or other objects. Thus, anydiscussion of embodiments of the present invention with respect to aparticular item, such as a text item, is for purposes of example and isnot limiting of the wide rage of document content for which informationmay be obtained as described herein.

An example use of the lightweight information user interface 230 isillustrated in FIG. 2 where the user interface 230 is deployed in closeproximity to a selected text item 225, “John Brown.” According toembodiments of the present invention, the example text item 225 may havebeen selected because a user desires information about the selected textitem, for example, a definition of the text item, a translation of thetext item into a different language, or information about the text itemsuch as contact information for the text item if the text item is a nameor organizational information about the text item if the text item is acompany or other institution name or symbol. According to the examplelightweight information user interface 230, illustrated in FIG. 2,contact information for the name “John Brown” is obtained from a localor remote contacts file and is provided in the user interface 230 forproviding the user quick and efficient contact information for theselected name without the need for interrupting the user's workflow tolaunch a separate contacts application.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the user interface 230 may be deployed in avariety of display sizes. According to one embodiment, a default displaysize for the user interface 230 has a width of 200 pixels and a heightof 100 pixels when information from a single information source isprovided. If information from two or more information sources isprovided, a default size for the user interface 230 may include a widthof 300 pixels and a height of 150 pixels. As should be appreciated,however, a variety of other default sizes may be utilized for the userinterface 230 depending on available display space and depending uponthe desires of a given user or application developer.

An ellipsis control 330 is provided in the user interface 230 forselectively expanding the user interface 230 to the expanded version 335illustrated in the lower portion of FIG. 3. According to one embodiment,the size of the expanded user interface 335 may grow up to a variety ofdifferent sizes. According to a preferred embodiment, the user interface230 may be expanded as required to fit displayed content up to a widthof 600 pixels and a height of 480 pixels. According to this embodiment,a preferred width/height ratio of 2:1 is desired when determining a sizeto which to expand the user interface 230 for displaying additionalinformation content. According to embodiments, information that will notfit in the display space of the user interface 230 prior to expandingthe user interface 230 is truncated from display. Likewise, if the userinterface 230 is expanded to the expanded version 335, information thatstill will not fit in the available display space is truncated fromdisplay. A user interface control 370 is provided in the expandedversion 335 of the user interface 230 for collapsing the expandedversion 335 back to the default size user interface 230.

According to embodiments of the present invention, information displayedin the lightweight information user interface 230, 335 may beprioritized for display. For example, contact information about aselected name may receive a first priority, electronic mailfunctionality associated with a selected name may receive a secondpriority and navigation to a personal website associated with theselected name may receive a third priority. For another example, if adictionary definition is obtained for a selected word, a firstdictionary definition may receive a first priority, a second dictionarydefinition may receive a second priority, and so on. For anotherexample, if research information is obtained about a company stocksymbol contained in a text document or spreadsheet document, a companyname associated with the symbol may receive a first priority, andresearch information about the associated company may receive a secondpriority.

Information may be displayed in the user interface 230 according topriority level and according to available display space. That is, thedisplay of the information may be prioritized according to a preferreddisplay order where a most preferred information section is displayedfirst and a least preferred information section is displayed last. Forexample, priority one information may be first displayed, followed bypriority two, and so on. If available display space dictates thatdisplayed information must be truncated, as described above, theinformation having the lowest priority may be first truncated, leavingthe maximum available display space for information having the highestpriority. If information from each priority of information may fit inthe available display space, then all information from each prioritylevel of information is displayed. In addition, information withdifferent priority levels may be displayed in different sections of theuser interface in the same manner as information from different sources,as described below. As should be appreciated, if the default size userinterface 230 is expanded, as described above, then additionalinformation is displayed as display space permits.

When information is returned for display in the user interface 230, 335from multiple information sources, information from the differentinformation sources may be displayed in different sections of the userinterface 230, 335. If the available display space in the user interface230, 335 does not allow for display of all information for each sectionof information, one or more sections of information may be displayed,while other sections of information may be reduced or collapsed.Sectionalized information displayed in the user interface 230, 335 maybe provided in different display orientations. For example, a firstsection of information may be displayed in the upper left-hand corner ofthe user interface 230, a second section of information may be displayedin the upper right-hand corner of the user interface 230, a thirdsection of information may be displayed in the lower left-hand corner ofthe user interface 230, and so on. Alternatively, a first section ofdisplayed information may be displayed in the upper left-hand corner ofthe user interface 230, a second section of information may be displayedin the lower left-hand corner of the user interface 230, a third sectionof information may be displayed in the upper right-hand corner of theuser interface 230, and so on.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the user interface 230 includes a firstinformation section 315 containing example contact information for anamed individual. Other sections of information 320, 325 are illustratedin a collapsed form so that enough display space for displaying theinformation section 315 is provided. According to an embodiment,selection of one of the collapsed sections of information, for example,section 320, causes full display of the information contained in section320 and simultaneously causes a collapse of the presently displayedinformation section 315. If the user interface 230 is expanded to theexpanded version 335, illustrated in FIG. 3, information from previouslycollapsed information sections may be fully displayed as display spacepermits. For example, referring to the expanded version 335, personalcontact information for the example named person is provided in theleft-hand side of the expanded user interface 330 to include a name 310,title 312, office department 313, company name 315 and otherinformation. In a second section, on the right-hand side, the previouslycollapsed “contacts” section 320 and “email” section 325 are fullydisplayed for displaying free/busy information 337, contacts editingfunctionality 339, electronic mail functionality 338 and website accessfunctionality 350. As should be appreciated, the information illustratedin the example user interface 230, 335 is for purposes of example onlyand is not restrictive of the different types of information that may bedisplayed in the user interface 230, 335 according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

Referring to the user interface 335, if information from one or moreinformation sources is truncated because the information will not fullyfit in the available display space, a numbered tab 340, 345 is providedfor each truncated section of information. Selection of a displayednumbered tab causes a display of truncated information in the displayspace of the user interface 230, 335. For example, if a first section ofinformation provides contact information for a selected name in adocument and the contact information is truncated so that only a firsthalf of the contact information is displayed, a numbered tab 340 isdeployed for the truncated information. If the numbered tab 340 issubsequently selected, the truncated information, for example, thesecond half of the contact information, is displayed for review by theuser. According to one embodiment, the number of deployed truncatedinformation tabs cannot exceed the vertical length of the associateduser interface 230, 335.

Content displayed in the lightweight information user interface 230, 335may be displayed according to a variety of formatting properties. Forexample, the information may be displayed as rich text or other textdisplay types, and the information may be displayed according todifferent font sizes, different font colors, text styles, etc. Inaddition, information displayed in the user interface 230, 335 mayinclude images/icons, audio files, tables, hyperlinks to other content,hyperlinks to external files, functionality buttons or controls, formsor templates.

According to embodiments of the present invention, a search forinformation about a selected text item, data item or object may beinitiated, and the lightweight user interface 230 may be deployedaccording to different means. According to a first embodiment, if anelectronic document is being utilized in an edit mode, where normal editfunctionality, for example, cut, copy, paste, formatting, and the likemay be applied to content of the electronic document, the lightweightinformation user interface 230 is typically invoked and deployed byfirst selecting a text item, data item or object in the electronicdocument followed by a user action for initiating an information searchon the selected item. As should be appreciated, a secondary user action,as described below, is required when the electronic document is in editmode because a number of edit functionalities may be applied to aselected item in the electronic document 220 after selection of theitem.

Referring back to FIG. 2, if the document 220 is being utilized in anedit mode, initiation of a search on the text item 225 and deployment ofthe user interface 230 containing information about the selected textitem is performed by first selecting the text item, for example, bymouse-clicking over the text item, followed by a secondary user action.According to one embodiment, a quick information look-up may beinitiated using a keyboard accelerator combination, for example, ALTplus mouse click or CTRL plus mouse click, or any other suitablekeyboard accelerator combination programmed for initiating aninformation search on the selected item. According to anotherembodiment, a quick information look-up button or control may bepositioned in a toolbar of buttons and controls such as the controls205, 210, 215 illustrated in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 4, according to another embodiment, a drop-down menu400 may be deployed in the user interface 200 for containing variousedit mode functionalities that may be selected for application to theselected item in the document 220. For example, upon selecting aparticular item in the document 220, the user may perform many editingfunctions, for example, the cut function 410, the copy function 415, thepaste function 420, and the like. In addition, a look-up function 425 isprovided which when selected causes a pop-out menu 430 that providesadditional look-up functionality. According to embodiments of thepresent invention, selection of the quick look-up function 435 causesinitiation of an information search for retrieving information on theselected item for population in the lightweight information userinterface 230, described herein. A research function 440 may be selectedfor providing an exhaustive information research on the selected termthat may be provided via an external research tool. As should beappreciated, the menu 400 may be displayed according to a variety ofmechanisms including pop-up dialog boxes, drop down menus or as acontext menu that may be deployed upon selection of a text item, dataitem or object contained in the electronic document 220 that providesfunctionality applicable to the selected item, including the userinterface 230 of the present invention.

If an electronic document, including an electronic mail message, isdeployed in a reading mode where normal edit functionalities, such ascut, copy, paste, formatting, and the like are disabled, the informationsearch and display via the lightweight information user interface 230may be initiated and provided in an automatic mode upon the selection ofan item in the electronic document 220. That is, because the electronicdocument 220 is in a reading mode, selection of an item in theelectronic document 220 may be utilized for triggering an automaticinformation search on the selected item followed by a deployment of thelightweight information user interface 230 containing the results of thesearch. That is, because there is no expectation of the selection of anediting functionality following the selection of an item in theelectronic document when the electronic document is in reading mode,selection of an item in the electronic document may be used fortriggering an automatic information search and display, as describedherein.

According to embodiments, after a user is finished reviewing thecontents of the user interface 230, it may be dismissed from displayaccording to a number of means. A user interface dismissal control 331is provided in the default and expanded user interfaces 230, 335.Selection of the control 331 causes the user interface to be dismissedfrom display. Another means for dismissing the user interface 230includes selecting a different text item, data item or object in theelectronic document. Similarly, selecting, for example, by mouseclicking, in another location in the electronic document or on adifferent user interface component may dismiss the user interface 230,335. In addition, a button or control may be provided in a toolbar ormenu for selectively dismissing the user interface 230, 335. Inaddition, keyboard keys, for example, the “ESC” key, or combinations ofkeys, for example, “CTRL” plus “D,” may be designated for dismissing theuser interface 230, 335 upon selection by a user.

FIG. 5 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a computingarchitecture for obtaining information for populating a lightweightinformation user interface according to embodiments of the presentinvention. When an item is selected in an electronic document 220, asdescribed above, and when an information search or lookup is initiatedaccording to one of the methods described above, the application 106 inuse with the electronic document 220 may obtain the requestedinformation from a local or remote source. As should be appreciated, thelocal source 515 may be maintained in memory on the local computer 100in use by the user. Alternatively, the application 106 may query aremote source 525 via a distributed computing network 520, such as theInternet or an intranet. For example, the remote source 525 may be inthe form of a server maintained in a corporate network from whichindividual users may obtain information associated with a selected textitem in the electronic document 220 being reviewed or edited by theuser. Alternatively, the remote source 525 may be a research sitemaintained by a third party that is accessible via the network 520.

According to one embodiment, the application 106 may obtain dictionaryinformation or translation information on a selected text item from alocal or remote source 515, 525 by comparing the selected text itemagainst a dictionary or translation service contained on the local orremote sources. Language tools, for example, dictionary sources andtranslation services may be provided in the lightweight information userinterface 230 by comparing the selected item against items (e.g., wordsor phrases) contained in the dictionary sources or translation services.According to one embodiment, information retrieval from a dictionarysource may be based on the user interface language in use for theapplication 106. For example, if the current user interface language inuse for the application 106 is French, then upon the initiation of aninformation lookup for display in the user interface 230, describedabove, a French dictionary source at the local source 515 or remotesource 525 will be utilized. Alternatively, a default language may beset for the application 106, and dictionary sources associated with thedefault language may be utilized. Alternatively, any editing languagesthat have been enabled by the user for use with the application 106 maybe utilized for obtaining dictionary information from the local source515 or remote source 525. Alternatively, the language, for example,French, German, Italian, etc., of text being entered or edited into anassociated electronic document or mail document may be used to controlthe language of an associated dictionary source.

According to another embodiment, bilingual dictionary and translationsources may be utilized where a selected term may be automaticallytranslated from a first language, for example, English, to the selecteduser interface language and vise versa. Or, an automatic translationfrom a first language to a selected default language and vice versa maybe selected. Alternatively, an automatic translation of the selectedterm from a first language to an enabled editing language and vice versamay be selected. Or, an automatic translation may be obtained for aselected text item for any editing language enabled for the application106 to any other editing language enabled for the application 106 andvice versa. As should be appreciated, in addition to obtainingtranslations of selected text items, as described above, definitions fora selected text item may be obtained in different languages, forexample, the user interface language, a default language, or any editinglanguages enabled for the application 106. In addition, the language,for example, French, German, Italian, etc., of text being entered oredited into an associated electronic document or mail document may beused for determining a first or starting language for translation of anitem to a second language or for obtaining a definition in a secondlanguage.

In addition to obtaining dictionary definitions or translations ofselected text items, as described above, selected items in an electronicdocument 220 may be “smart tagged” for identifying a type for theselected item which may then be compared against an information sourceapplicable to the identified text or data item type. As described below,“smart tagging” an item allows the item to be recognized and tagged in amanner that facilitates a more accurate information lookup based on thecontext and/or meaning of the tagged item. For example, if a selectedtext item may be identified as a name, then the name may be comparedagainst a database of names, for example, a contacts database, forretrieving information about the identified name, for example, name,address, telephone number, and the like, for population in thelightweight information user interface 230. Similarly, if a numberstring, for example, a five-digit number, may be identified as a ZIPCode, then the number string may similarly be compared against ZIP Codescontained in a database, for example, a contacts database for retrievinginformation associated with the identified ZIP Code.

Referring to FIG. 5, according to this embodiment, when a text or dataitem is selected by the user, the selected text or data item is passedto a recognizer module 530 where the selected text or data item iscompared against text or data items of various types for recognizing andidentifying the text or data item as a given type. For example, if atext item 225, such as the name “John Brown,” is selected by a user froman electronic document 220, or from an electronic mail message displayedby the application 106, the selected text item is passed to therecognizer module 530. At the recognizer module 530, the selected textitem is compared against one or more databases of text items. Forexample, the text item “John Brown” may be compared against a contactsdatabase for finding a matching entry in the contacts database. Foranother example, the text item “John Brown” may be compared against atelephone directory for finding a matching entry in a telephonedirectory. For another example, the text item “John Brown” may becompared against a corporate or other institutional directory for amatching entry.

For each of these examples, if the text item or other content is matchedagainst content contained in any available information source, theninformation applicable to the selected text item of the type associatedwith the matching information source may be returned. According to oneembodiment, once a given text item is identified as associated with agiven type, for example, a name, an action module 535 may be invoked forpassing the identified text item to a local information source 515 or toa remote source 525 for retrieval of information applicable to the textitem according to its identified type. For example, if the text item“John Brown” is recognized by the recognizer module 530 as belonging tothe type “name,” then the action module 535 may pass the identified textitem to all information sources contained at the local source 515 and/orthe remote source 525 for obtaining available information associatedwith the selected text item of the type name. For example, if the localsource 515 and/or remote source 525 contains a contacts database, atelephone directory database, and a corporate directory database whereeach of the example databases contain information associated with thedata type name, the identified text item “John Brown” may be comparedagainst data contained in each of those databases for matching entries.

Information matching the selected text item from each available sourcemay be returned to the application 106 for populating the lightweightinformation user interface 230. Thus, following from the presentexample, if the user selects the text item “John Brown” and informationassociated with the selected text item is found in each of a contactsdatabase, telephone directory, and corporate directory, threeinformation sections may be populated in the lightweight informationuser interface 230 for providing the user contact information, telephonedirectory information, and corporate directory information for theselected text item.

As should be appreciated, the recognizer module may be programmed forrecognizing many data types, for example, book titles, movie titles,addresses, important dates, geographic locations, and the like.Accordingly, as should be understood, any text or data item passed tothe recognizer module 530 from the application 106 that may berecognized and identified as a particular data type may be comparedagainst a local or remote information source for obtaining informationapplicable to the selected text or data item according to the text ordata item type identified for the selected text or data item. As will bedescribed below, according to an embodiment of the invention,information may be returned according to a variety of media types. Forexample, if the recognizer module recognizes a text string as a movietitle, an audio clip from the associated movie may be returned which maybe played to a user via the lightweight reference user interface.Similarly, a returned video clip may be played. In addition, informationabout a selected word, text item or object may be returned in differentmedia types, for example, audio, video, picture, bitmap image, etc.

According to another embodiment, the recognizer module 530 and actionmodule 535 may be provided by third parties for conducting specializedinformation retrieval associated with different data types. For example,a third-party application developer may provide a recognizer module 530and action module 535 for recognizing text or data items as stocksymbols. Thus, if a user selects a stock symbol contained in anelectronic document 220 or received in an electronic mail message, thestock symbol may be passed to the recognizer module 530 supplied by thethird-party developer for recognizing the selected text item as a stocksymbol. Once the selected text item is recognized as a stock symbol, forexample, the associated action module 535 may pass the identified textor data item to a local or remote information source, for example, aninformation source provided by a financial information network, forobtaining a company name and/or information about a company associatedwith the identified stock symbol.

As should be appreciated, any number of text or data types may beutilized for identification via the recognizer module 530 and forobtaining information on a selected text or data item identified as agiven text or data item type, as described herein. Further, according toembodiments of the present invention, the action module 535 may beprogrammed for providing additional research functionality in thelightweight information user interface 230. For example, if a search inthe local or remote information source obtains a vast amount ofinformation on an identified text or data item, for example, a companyname, an executable functionality, for example, a “additional research”button, may be populated in the lightweight information user interfacewhich, when subsequently selected by a user, causes additional researchfor expanded search information on the selected text or data item.

FIG. 6 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an XML-basedinformation query for information required for populating a lightweightinformation user interface 230. According to embodiments of the presentinvention, speed and efficiency of information retrieval and display tothe lightweight information user interface 230 is enhanced by use of alightweight Extensible Markup Language (XML) protocol for informationretrieval. The XML representation 600 illustrates example XML markup fora query for contacts information associated with a selected text itemidentified as a name in an electronic document or electronic mailmessage. An associated schema 650 is illustrated which provides XMLgrammar, syntax and validation rules governing the XML markup applied tothe query 600. As described below, according to one embodiment, theschema 650 is extensible to support information returns to thelightweight reference user interface according to a variety of mediatypes, including text, audio (including voice), video, music, pictures(in multiple formats), bitmap images, etc.

According to embodiments of the present invention, when an informationsource query is passed from the application 106 to a local source 515 orremote source 525, the XML-based query 600 is utilized as a lightweightquery for returning a limited amount of information, for example,contact information responsive to the selected text item, data item orobject selected in the electronic document.

When the XML-based query 600 is received at the local or remoteinformation source, the query is parsed in association with the attachedschema 650 for quickly determining the types of data that should bereturned in response to the query. As should be appreciated, because thelocal source and remote source 525 may parse the XML-based query basedon the associated schema, data from the local and/or remote sources 515,525 may be efficiently matched to corresponding XML markup in the query600 for producing responsive information to the query. For example,referring to the query 600, illustrated in FIG. 6, once the local and/orremote sources 515, 525 receive the XML-based query, information in thelocal and/or remote sources 515, 525 corresponding to XML markupcontained in the query 600 and corresponding to the identified textitem, data item or object may be populated into a response that ispassed back to the application 106 for populating the lightweightinformation user interface 230, 335 described herein. Thus, a limitedand/or targeted amount of information may be obtained from the localand/or remote information sources for presentation in the lightweightinformation user interface 230, 335 as opposed to obtaining allavailable information associated with a given text item, data item, orobject selected in an electronic document 220.

As should be appreciated, the example XML markup 600 is not intended toshow well-formed XML, but is for purposes of illustration only. Further,the example XML-based query 600 is not limiting of the vast number ofdifferent markup-based queries that may be generated for obtainingdifferent amounts and types of information from one or more informationsources for populating the lightweight information user interfaces 230,335, described herein.

As briefly described above, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention, the lightweight information user interface 230 may beutilized for providing functionality on a word, data item or object,including automatic conversion of a word or text string from onelanguage to another language. In addition, information on a selectedword, data item or object may be provided according to a variety ofmedia types, including text, audio video, music, pictures (in multipleformats), bitmap images, etc.

Display of Linguistic and Translation Information on Focus

Referring now to FIG. 7, another embodiment of a lightweight informationuser interface is illustrated and described. According to thisembodiment, the user interface 720 may be automatically deployed in adisplayed document 702 for providing information on a focused-on word orobject 725. For example, upon focus on a given word in a displayeddocument, such as the word “insert” 725, the lightweight user interface720 may be automatically deployed to provide a translation, definitionor other useful information for the focused-on word or object. Accordingto one embodiment, focus on a given word or object may be in the form ofa “mouse-over” on the desired word or object. Other focus methods mayinclude touching the screen over a desired word or object with anelectronic pen or stylus. As should be appreciated, any suitable methodof applying focus to a given word or object in an electronic document702 may be utilized for triggering automatic deployment of the userinterface 720.

As described above, when the functionality associated with the userinterface (UI) 720 is activated (“turned on”), the user interface 720 isautomatically deployed in an associated document 702 upon focus on agiven word or object for providing the activated functionality. Forexample, if a translation functionality is activated, then a translationfor a focused-on word will automatically be displayed in the userinterface 720 upon focus (e.g., mouse-over) on a given word according toa selected translation language. That is, if a French translationlanguage is selected for the UI 720, then if a user mouses over a givenword, for example, “insert” 725, then the UI 720 automatically will bedisplayed, as illustrated in FIG. 7, and will include a translation, forexample, the French translation “inserer” for the focused-on word. Asillustrated in FIG. 7, a definition for the focused-on word is providedin addition to a translation according to a selected translationlanguage. In the example definitions provided, a couple of possibledefinitions are displayed, including an example use of the focused-onword according to the translation language applied to the focused-onword.

A great variety of information may be provided in the UI 720 upon focuson a given word or object. For example, in addition to translation anddefinition information, thesaurus information, antonyms, synonyms andthe like may be provided for a focused-on word or object. In addition, afocused-on word or object may be sent to a recognizer function, asdescribed above with respect to FIG. 5, and a variety of otherinformation may be provided, for example, research information on agiven word or object (e.g., Internet-based, encyclopedia-based, etc.).As should be appreciated, the layout and display location of the exampleuser interface 720, illustrated in FIG. 7, are for purposes of exampleonly and are not limiting of the different ways in which the translationand definition information may be displayed to a requesting user.

As described above, deployment of the user interface 720 is automaticupon the focus (e.g., mouse over) on a desired word or object. Accordingto embodiments, the user interface 720 may be activated for automaticdeployment via a variety of entry points and/or deployment means. FIG. 8illustrates a computer screen display of an electronic document showinga drop down menu with which the functionality of the user interface 720may be activated (“turned on”) and with which a given translationlanguage may be selected for application to focused-on words or objects.As illustrated in FIG. 8, a row of functionality buttons or controls atthe top of the example user interface 700 provide functionalities thatmay be applied to text, data items or objects in an associated document.

A drop down menu 830 may be deployed in response to the selection of orfocus on a “Translation Screentip” control 710. The drop down menuincludes a number of translation languages that may be applied to afocused-on word or object, for example, the word “insert” 725. As shouldbe appreciated, the translation languages illustrated in FIG. 8 are forpurposes of example only and are not exhaustive of the numeroustranslation languages available for use in accordance with embodimentsof the invention. The drop down menu 830 also illustrates a “turn off”control which may be selected for deactivating the UI 720 and associatedfunctionality.

After a given translation language is selected from the drop down menu830, the translation functionality is activated or “turned on,” and themenu 830 is dismissed. Subsequently, when a user focuses (e.g.,mouse-over) on a given word, for example, “insert” 725, the focused-onword is sent to a translation module as described above with referenceto FIG. 5, and a returned translation is automatically populated in adeployed user interface 720. According to one embodiment, in addition toa translation, a definition for the focused-on word may be populated inthe UI 720, or a concise version of the UI 720 may be deployed to showonly the translation, as illustrated below with respect to FIG. 10. Asshould be appreciated, whether a definition is shown with thetranslation, as illustrated in FIG. 7, is readily configurable.

As mentioned above, the UI 720 may be utilized for displayinginformation other than translations and definitions, for example, a“Research” button or control 705 may cause deployment of the menu 830for providing research on a selected word, data item or object in theassociated document. For example, the menu 830 deployed in response toselection of or focus on “Research” button 705 may provide resources,such as encyclopedias, Internet-based research tools, or other lookupmethods for finding information associated with a word, data item orobject focused on in the associated document.

The user interface 720 may be activated by other means in addition tothe drop down menu 830, illustrated in FIG. 8. For example, in responseto a “mouse-over” focus on a given word when the UI 720 has not beenactivated, a context menu 920 may be displayed, as illustrated in FIG.9. In FIG. 9, a document 702 is illustrated in which a context menu 920has been deployed for providing functionality of an associatedapplication, for example, a word processing application, based on thecontext of a document focus point or insertion point. For example, uponfocus or placement of an insertion point in a text selection containedin the document 702, a context menu 920 may be automatically deployedfor providing functionality associated with the editing of a textselection. For example, text editing functions such as “cut,” “copy” and“paste” are illustrated. In contrast, if an object, such as an embeddedpicture, is selected or focused on, the context menu 920 may be deployedand may be populated with functionality associated with the editing ofembedded pictures.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the context menu 920 includes, among otherthings, a “Translate” functionality, which when selected, may causedeployment of the fly out menu 925, which in similarity to the drop downmenu 830, may automatically activate the functionality of thelightweight information user interface 720 and may provide one or moretranslation languages for application to a focused-on word. As describedabove with reference to FIG. 8, the fly out menu 925 may be launched inresponse to selection of a “research” type function from the contextmenu 920 for providing access to other information that may be displayedfor a focused-on word or object.

As described above, a selected word, data item or object may be passedto a recognition resource, such as the recognizer module 530 illustratedand described with respect to FIG. 5, for returning information andactions responsive to the request. Thus, if a user selects a research,lookup or translation functionality for application to a particularword, text string or object, a focused-on word, text string or objectmay be passed to the recognizer module 530 and then on to an appropriatelocal or remote source for research information and potential actionsresponsive to the request.

As described above with reference to FIG. 6, an XML-based query may beused to query one or more local or remote resources for informationand/or actions, for example, a translation or dictionary lookup, inassociation with a schema 650. According to an embodiment, a dictionaryschema 650 may be structured and defined with property tags forenhancing the display of dictionary information as illustrated in FIG.7. An example XML-based schema 650 for dictionary information is set outin Table 1 below.

TABLE 1 <Headword><B>insert</B> </Headword> <Num>1.</Num> <Text> <I>nounin magazine etc encart masculin </I> </Text><Num>2.</Num><Text>transitive verb; <B>insert something into somethinginserer something dans something</B></Text>

With a defined schema structure, extra display properties may beprovided in associated user interface 720 for displaying responsiveinformation. For example, through use of a “concise” tag (XML-based),the user interface 720 may be used to display a concise version ofresponsive information instead of a full display of information, asillustrated in FIG. 7. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 10, an exampledocument 702 is provided in which a user has focused on a desired word“insert” after activating the translation function for translating wordsfrom English to French. Through use of the “concise” tag, a smallerversion of the user interface 1020 is deployed and displays only atranslation for the focused-on word, but does not display additionalinformation, such as a definition for the word. As illustrated in FIG.10, the lightweight information user interface 1020 is deployed in thedocument 702 and shows the French translation “inserer” for thefocused-on word “insert.” Rather than display a lengthy text string suchas “The French translation of the English term ‘insert’ is ‘inserer,’” aconcise display simply provides the translated word corresponding to thestarting word. An example XML-based schema 650 for translation servicesutilizing an example “concise” tag is set out in Table 2 below.

TABLE 2 <Headword><B>insert</B> </Headword> <Num>1.</Num> <Text> <I>nounin magazine etc encart masculin </I> </Text><Num>2.</Num><Text>transitive verb; <B>insert something into something;inserer something dans something</B></Text> <concise> inserer</concise>

FIG. 11 illustrates a computer screen display of an electronic documentshowing the lightweight information user interface 720 deployed forlanguage translation and showing icons for selectively receivinginformation according to different media types. As briefly describedabove, information may be provided on a focused-on word, data item orobject according to a variety of media types, including text, audio,video, music, pictures (in multiple formats) bitmap images, etc.

According to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11, a focused-on word,data item or object may be matched with information available for thefocused-on word according to different media types, and each type ofinformation may be provided via the lightweight information userinterface 720, described herein. As illustrated in FIG. 11, a number oficons 1135, 1140, 1145 are displayed in the user interface 720 forproviding information on a focused-on word according to different mediatypes. For example, selection of the picture control 1135 may result ina picture associated with the focused-on word being displayed to a userin similar fashion as illustrated above with reference to FIGS. 7 and10. For example, upon focus on the word “insert” and upon selection ofthe picture icon 1135, a picture showing an object being inserted into acontainer may be displayed for providing a visual definition for theword. Selection of the movie control 1140 may cause the display of amovie clip associated with the focused-on word, for example, a videoclip of an object being inserted into a container, in response to amouse-over on the word “insert.” Likewise, selection of the voicecontrol 1145 may cause the playing of an audio clip that speaks thefocused-on word in the starting language and again in the translatedlanguage, followed by a speaking of a definition for the focused-onword. Other media type controls may be provided for providing othertypes of responsive media, such as music.

According to an embodiment, the media type controls are populated in theuser interface 720 based on availability of the associated media. Thatis, if information responsive to a research, lookup or translation, forexample, is available in an audio clip, then the audio clip will bereturned from the appropriate local or remote resource, and the audio(e.g., voice) icon will be populated in the user interface 720 forselecting the returned audio clip for play. Similarly, if a movie clipis available as a responsive resource, then the movie clip will bereturned to the user interface 720, and the movie icon will be populatedin the user interface 720, as illustrated in FIG. 11.

For an example of the provision of information via alternate mediatypes, if a given word or text string is selected from an associateddocument for translation from English to French, a French translation ofthe word may be provided, as illustrated and described above withreference to FIG. 10. On the other hand, if an audio clip for thetranslation is available, the audio clip may be returned and theassociated audio icon will be populated in the user interface 730. Ifthe audio icon 1145 is selected, an audio clip may be played to the userwith which the user is able to hear a voice translation of the selectedword. For example, the user may hear a voice translation such as “TheFrench translation of the word “insert” is ‘inserer.’”

For another example, if the user focuses on a name in a given document,for example, “Neil Armstrong,” and then selects a researchfunctionality, for example, an encyclopedia functionality, from the userinterface 830, the user may be provided a variety of information on theexample subject according to a variety of different media types. Forexample, selection of the picture control may provide the user-with apicture according to a variety of picture formats of the researchsubject, for example, “Neil Armstrong.” Similarly, a movie clip may beprovided to the user which when selected, may provide the user a movieclip of Neil Armstrong's famous walk on the surface of the moon.Similarly, selection of the voice control 1145 may cause the playing ofan audio clip to the user, for example, Neil Armstrong's famous quotesfrom the surface of the moon. Likewise, if the user selects anotherfunctionality, for example, a dictionary functionality associated with afocused-on word, for example, “astronaut” the user may receive a pictureassociated with the defined word or text string, for example, a pictureof an astronaut in a space suit. Of course, in all of the aboveinstances, the user may receive textual information, as illustrated inFIGS. 7 and 10, in addition to the other media types discussed above.

In order to facilitate the presentation of the multimedia information inthe UI 720, as described above, the schema provided for display ofinformation in the UI 720 is extended to provide additional multimediainformation. An example schema 650 for providing multimedia informationvia the user interface 720 is set out below in Table 3. For example, inthe schema set out below, use of a “multimedia” tag is illustrated in adictionary data schema definition for extending the dictionary dataschema to include additional media types for providing definitioninformation for focused on words or text strings.

TABLE 3 <Headword><B>insert</B> </Headword> <Num>1.</Num> <Text> <I>nounin magazine etc encart masculin  </I> </Text><Num>2.</Num><Text>transitive verb; <B>insert something into  something;inserer something dans something</B></Text> <multimedia> <voice>\Program Files\Common Files\MicrosoftShared\TRANSLAT\ENFR\voice\245685123.mpg</voice>  <picture>\ProgramFiles\Common Files\MicrosoftShared\TRANSLAT\ENFR\picture\245685123.jpg</picture> <movie> \ProgramFiles\Common Files\MicrosoftShared\TRANSLAT\ENFR\movie\245685123.avi</movie> </multimedia>

As described herein, methods, systems and computer products provide alightweight information user interface for displaying information abouta focused-on text item, data item or other object in an electronicdocument that minimizes interruption of workflow with the electronicdocument. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications or variations may be made in the present invention withoutdeparting from the scope or spirit of the invention. Other embodimentsof the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the artfrom consideration of the specification and practice of the inventiondisclosed herein.

1. A method of providing information associated with a focused-on itemin an electronic document, comprising: receiving a first user-initiatedselection comprising a focus on an item contained in an electronicdocument; evaluating a current mode of the electronic document selectedfrom a first mode in which a plurality of editing functions of theelectronic document are disabled, and a second mode in which theplurality of editing functions of the electronic document are enabled;automatically initiating a search for information on the focused-on itemwhen the current mode is evaluated as the first mode; receiving a seconduser-initiated selection for initiating the search for information onthe focused-on item when the current mode is evaluated as the secondmode, wherein the second user selection is selected from a groupcomprising: a simultaneous keyboard and mouse selection; and a controlselection accessed in one of a control toolbar and a drop-down menu;passing data representing the focused-on item to an information sourcefollowing initiating the search for information on the focused-on item;receiving the information associated with the focused-on item from theinformation source; automatically displaying the returned informationassociated with the focused-on item in a user interface in theelectronic document in proximity to the focused-on item; and when theinformation associated with the focused-on item will not fit in anavailable display space provided in the user interface: truncating aportion of the information such that only a portion of the informationthat will fit in the available display space provided in the userinterface is displayed; and disposing a selectable control tab on afirst side the user interface which, when selected, causes a display ofthe truncated portion of the information, the selectable control tabincluding: a first selectable tab which, when selected, causes to bedisplayed a first portion of the truncated portion of the information;and a second selectable tab which, when selected, causes to be displayeda second portion of the truncated portion of the information; the firstand second selectable tabs extending from the user interface, with thefirst selectable tab being positioned above the second selectable tab.2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the information associatedwith the focused-on item includes receiving the information associatedwith the focused-on item in a format associated with each of a pluralityof media types, and further comprising providing access to theinformation associated with the focused-on item in the format associatedwith each of the plurality of media types via the displayed userinterface.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein providing access to theinformation associated with the focused-on item in the format associatedwith each of the plurality of media types includes providing an audiofile that may be selected from the displayed user interface forproviding the information associated with the focused-on item in audioformat.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein providing access to theinformation associated with the focused-on item in the format associatedwith each of the plurality of media types includes providing a videofile that may be selected from the displayed user interface forproviding the information associated with the focused-on item in videoformat.
 5. The method of claim 2, wherein providing access to theinformation associated with the focused-on item in the format associatedwith each of the plurality of media types includes providing a picturethat may be formatted according to one or more formatting types that maybe displayed in the user interface for providing the informationassociated with the focused-on item in video format.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein passing data representing the focused-on item to aninformation source includes passing an Extensible Markup Language (XML)formatted query to the information source that identifies a type ofinformation associated with the focused-on item that is requested fromthe information source.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprisingproviding a schema definition for information contained in theinformation source for allowing the XML formatted query to obtain thetype of information associated with the focused-on item that isrequested from the information source.
 8. The method of claim 7, whereinproviding a schema definition for information contained in theinformation source for allowing the XML formatted query to obtain thetype of information associated with the focused-on item that isrequested from the information source, includes providing a schemadefinition for the information associated with the focused-on item ineach of the plurality of media types for allowing the XML formattedquery to request the information associated with the focused-on itemaccording to any media type supported by the schema definition.
 9. Themethod of claim 7, wherein providing a schema definition for informationcontained in the information source for allowing the XML formatted queryto obtain the type of information associated with the focused-on itemthat is requested from the information source, includes providing aschema definition for the information associated with the focused-onitem for allowing the XML formatted query to return the informationassociated with the focused-on item for presentation in the displayeduser interface according to a prescribed layout.
 10. The method of claim1, wherein passing data representing the focused-on item to aninformation source includes: passing the data representing thefocused-on item to a recognizer module for determining whether thefocused-on item corresponds to a given data type; when the focused-onitem corresponds to a given data type, passing the data representing thefocused-on item to an information source containing informationassociated with the given data type; and wherein receiving theinformation associated with the focused-on item in a format associatedwith each of a plurality of media types includes receiving informationassociated with the focused-on item that is further associated with thegiven data type in a format associated with each of a plurality of mediatypes.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein passing data representing thefocused-on item to an information source includes passing the datarepresenting the focused-on item to a dictionary source for obtaining adefinition of the focused-on item.
 12. The method of claim 1, whereinpassing data representing the focused-on item to an information sourceincludes passing the data representing the focused-on item to atranslation source for obtaining a translation of the focused-on itemfrom a first language to a second language.
 13. The method of claim 1,wherein if the information associated with the focused-on item isreceived from more than one information source, displaying theinformation in the user interface in one or more sections whereinformation from a first information source is displayed in a firstsection and where information from a second information source isdisplayed in a second section.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein if anavailable display space in the user interface will not accommodate adisplay of all sections of information received for display in the userinterface, displaying information from a number of sections that willfit in the user interface; collapsing any sections of information thedisplay of which will not fit in the user interface; and providing aselectable control in the user interface, which when selected, causes adisplay of an associated collapsed section of information.
 15. Themethod of claim 14, further comprising prioritizing the sections ofinformation according to a preferred display order where a mostpreferred section is displayed first and a least preferred section isdisplayed last.
 16. A computer readable storage medium containingcomputer executable instructions which when executed by a computerperform a method of providing information associated with a focused-onitem in an electronic document, comprising: receiving a first userselection comprising a focus on an item contained in an electronicdocument; passing data representing the focused-on item to a recognizermodule for determining whether the focused-on item corresponds to agiven data type; evaluating a current mode of the electronic documentselected from a first mode in which a plurality of editing functions ofthe electronic document are disabled, and a second mode in which theplurality of editing functions of the electronic document are enabled;automatically initiating a search for information on the focused-on itemwhen the current mode is evaluated as the first mode; receiving a seconduser selection for initiating the search for information on thefocused-on item when the current mode is evaluated as the second mode,wherein the second user selection is selected from a group comprising: asimultaneous keyboard and mouse selection; and a control selectionaccessed in one of a control toolbar and a drop-down menu; when thefocused-on item corresponds to a given data type, passing the datarepresenting the focused-on item to an information source containinginformation associated with the given data type following initiating thesearch for information on the focused-on item; at the informationsource, parsing a data source for information associated with thefocused-on item; returning information associated with the focused-onitem; displaying a user interface in the electronic document inproximity to the focused-on item; and displaying the returnedinformation associated with the focused-on item in the user interface,wherein, when the information associated with the focused-on item willnot fit in an available display space provided in the user interface:truncating a portion of the information such that only a portion of theinformation that will fit in the available display space provided in theuser interface is displayed; and disposing a selectable control tab on afirst side the user interface, which when selected, causes a display ofthe truncated portion of the information, the selectable control tabincluding: a first selectable tab which, when selected, causes to bedisplayed a first portion of the truncated portion of the information;and a second selectable tab which, when selected, causes to be displayeda second portion of the truncated portion of the information; the firstand second selectable tabs extending from the user interface, with thefirst selectable tab being positioned above the second selectable tab.17. A computer readable storage medium containing computer executableinstructions which when executed by a computer perform a method ofproviding information associated with a focused-on item in an electronicdocument, comprising: receiving a first user-initiated selectioncomprising a focus on an item contained in an electronic document;evaluating a current mode of the electronic document selected from afirst mode in which a plurality of editing functions of the electronicdocument are disabled, and a second mode in which the plurality ofediting functions of the electronic document are enabled; automaticallyinitiating a search for information on the focused-on item when thecurrent mode is evaluated as the first mode; receiving a second userselection for initiating the search for information on the focused-onitem when the current mode is evaluated as the second mode, wherein thesecond user selection is selected from a group comprising: asimultaneous keyboard and mouse selection; and a control selectionaccessed in one of a control toolbar and a drop-down menu; querying oneor more data sources for information associated with the focused-on itemfollowing initiating the search for information on the focused-on item;displaying a user interface in the electronic document in proximity tothe focused-on item; when the information associated with the focused-onitem is received from more than one source, displaying the informationin the user interface in one or more sections where information from afirst data source is displayed in a first section and where informationfrom a second data source is displayed in a second section; and when anavailable display space in the user interface will not accommodate adisplay of all sections of information received for display in the userinterface: displaying information from a number of sections that willfit in the user interface; collapsing any sections of information thedisplay of which will not fit in the user interface; and providing aselectable control tab on a first side of the user interface which, whenselected, causes a display of an associated collapsed section ofinformation, the selectable control tab including: a first selectabletab which, when selected, causes to be displayed a first portion of theinformation; and a second selectable tab which, when selected, causes tobe displayed a second portion of the information; the first and secondselectable tabs extending from the user interface, with the firstselectable tab being positioned above the second selectable tab.